Warning from the Head of Iran's Medical System Organization; Increasing Medical Capacity Without Infrastructure is 'Treason'

Mohammad Raeis Zadeh, the head of Iran's Medical System Organization and a critic of government policies towards the medical community, described the increase in medical capacity without infrastructure as 'treason' on Wednesday morning. He stated, 'When we do not have the capability to increase capacity, we should not engage in such actions. If the infrastructure is not provided and you increase capacities on paper, it is a betrayal to the health sector.' On Tuesday, January 7, 1400, the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, chaired by Ebrahim Raisi, approved a proposal to increase the annual admission of medical students by 20% compared to the previous year for four years. This resolution faced significant criticism. At the 16th 'International Congress of Emergency Medicine in Iran,' Raeis Zadeh severely criticized the government's policies towards the medical community, labeling them as 'instrumental and economic' and referring to the medical community as a pilot for economic projects. He expressed confusion as to why the medical community is being used as a pilot for economic projects. He also urged health officials to pay necessary attention to the security of emergency personnel, referencing incidents involving emergency staff in hospitals. Raeis Zadeh previously reacted to statements regarding the acceptance of specialized medical students from high school or undergraduate levels, warning that 'the robust trunk of the country's medicine is suffering from a pest.' In September 1401, he stated that the shortage of doctors is not 'black propaganda' and that the country no longer has 'pediatric heart surgeons.' The medical crisis and the widespread emigration of healthcare personnel in Iran have intensified over the past two years, with repeated warnings issued about the consequences of this issue. Abdolhossein Khosrowpanah, the Secretary of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, recently commented on the previous council resolution, saying, 'I wish that when the resolution to increase the capacity of medical fields was issued, there was a stronger emphasis on the Planning and Budget Organization to provide the necessary infrastructure for increasing the capacity of medical fields.' According to statistics released by the spokesperson of the Medical System Organization, the emigration of the medical community has doubled compared to the years before the COVID-19 pandemic, and Iran is now 'exporting' doctors to five continents.